USAID-facilitated private sector Networks and its Members fight coronavirus

 

At this moment in which the COVID-19 pandemic is advancing, the collaborative effort of the private sector has a decisive role in mitigating the consequences of the disease in our country.  It is at times like these that the importance of private sector companies is even more visible. The members of Partnership Platform for the Amazon (PPA) and Grupo + Unidos are responding to the challenge within their different specialties, seeking to protect their employees, suppliers, communities and help efforts to fight the virus as much as possible. USAID has had a role in facilitating and supporting private-sector led collective action platforms for more than a decade, with Grupo + Unidos since 2008 and the Partnership Platform for the Amazon since 2017 and welcomes the members voluntary actions to help in fighting this crisis.

 

The PPA, a private sector network aimed at supporting sustainable development and biodiversity conservation in the Amazon, and Grupo + Unidos, a collaborative social investment fund focused on education and technological training initiatives, carried out a survey on the actions taken by their associates in combating COVID-19, in order to share those with its members as potential ideas that others can use in their own companies, as well as to promote further collaborative action under these networks.

 

Many of the companies have made changes to their work organization, either releasing employees to work from home or creating protocols to protect against the new coronavirus, such as increased lunchtime and changes to shifts to prevent crowding. Companies have also used their production parks to provide local governments with the necessary supplies, such as hand sanitizer, hygiene materials, mattresses for shelters and hospitals and protective masks. In addition, they have released data, articles and research of public interest and made significant contributions to institutions that are at the forefront of combating the new virus.

 

As an organization that has always operated within a collaborative logic, Grupo + Unidos is now structuring possibilities to work in combating the progress of the disease. Some companies associated with its network have already committed to contribute to a fund aimed exclusively at mitigating the effects of the pandemic. From the resources contributed, the group will define which projects and institutions will receive the final investment, so that the mobilized value has the most effective impact. 

Learn about the actions taken by member companies of PPA and Grupo + Unidos:

 

Alcoa

Emergency support for equipment and health care products (gloves, clothes, hand sanitizer, equipment) in the various states where it operates. The Alcoa Institute and the Alcoa Foundation will provide additional emergency resources to all Alcoa factories in Brazil. The factories together with the community affairs committees and municipal committees will decide on the use of the intended resource.

 

BH26

Made a donation to the Cyrela Institute to assist Fiocruz to raise its production of COVID-19 detection tests.

 

AMBEV

Will donate 500,000 bottles of hand sanitizers to municipal public hospitals in the cities of São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Brasília.

In partnership with other institutions, is supporting the construction of space for 100 beds at the Municipal Hospital M’Boi Mirim.

 

DD&L

Created a newsletter with legal guidelines on measures that have been adopted in the region and in the Manaus Free Trade Zone that resulted in an impact on the business environment: http://bit.ly/DDLBoletimCovid19

 

Bemol

We sponsored more than 50,000 informative comic books on preventive measures against coronavirus.

We donated 1,000 mattresses to the Secretariat of Justice to shelter homeless people.

We donated 1,000 mattresses to the Health Department to set up the Manaus field hospital.

We donated 1,000 N95 masks to the Secretary of Health.

 

Hydro

Provided 51,000 liters of mineral water to the shelter set up at the Mangueirão Stadium in Belém / PA to combat COVID-19. The site will serve approximately 1,000 people in a state of social vulnerability for the duration of the pandemic.

 

Nelson Wilians

The INW institute launched two programs focused on the crisis: the GTC Solidary Connection Project, which aims to offer qualified, free medical advice throughout Brazil, through the telemedicine, and the Justiceiras Project, which aims to expand the support and guidance network for girls and women victims of domestic violence in this quarantine period, connecting volunteers from the areas of Law, Psychology and Social Assistance.

 

Vale

Will bring to Brazil 5 million fast test kits in humanitarian aid to combat the new coronavirus. This package also includes personal protective equipment, such as gloves and masks, for healthcare professionals. The company also announced a temporary aid package for suppliers. Payments will be anticipated and, therefore, approximately R$ 160 million should be injected into the economy in the coming days only with the anticipation of payments to small and medium-sized companies.

 

Sabin

Supported, along with organizations like Grupo + Unidos, the Phomenta Institute in creating a platform with information on how the crisis impacts civil society organizations and what actions can help mitigate the crises.

Access:  conteudo.phomenta.com.br/coronavirus

 

Gerdau

Has adopted a series of measures to mitigate the risk of transmission in the workplace, such as the recommendation of home office, the creation of crisis committees, cancellation of national and international trips, participation in external events, among others.

In addition, along with Ambev, the Einstein Hospital and the São Paulo City Hall, it will build a public hospital with capacity for 100 beds in the city of São Paulo, it will be an annex to the Municipal Hospital M'Boi Mirim.

 

Qualcomm

In March, the Qualcomm Foundation donated US$ 1 million to an organization that is supporting the community against the coronavirus in San Diego, being that US$ 500,000 is going to the San Diego Food Bank. The organizations were selected because Qualcomm is one of the largest employers in San Diego. In addition, it encourages employees to make donations to other US organizations by doubling an employee's contribution to the organization.

 

Citi

US$5 million will go to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund; US$5 million will go to No Kid Hungry, which supports emergency food distribution programs in the United States; US$5 million will be earmarked for additional country-specific international efforts in locations that have suffered severe impacts. In the coming weeks, Citi will also work to identify additional opportunities to support long-term recovery efforts. Citi Brasil Employees Association has developed a one-off campaign to raise funds to help families without fixed income with basic food baskets. R$ 80 thousand has already been collected for 3 months.

 

GE

To help meet the global challenge, it has increased its capacity to manufacture and produce equipment important in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with COVID-19, while taking steps to ensure safe operations for its employees. The direct actions they are taking include:

Add manufacturing lines to the ventilator production and increasing the number of production shifts 24 hours a day; hire additional manufacturing employees and move current employees to immediately support increased demand; manage its supply chain, working with suppliers to reduce shortages and minimize impact on customers globally; establish partnerships with global regulators and use their clinical and technical experience to urgently resolve customer questions about how to meet patient needs; monitoring the health of its service engineers in the field and providing personal protective equipment (PPE) for proper maintenance of the devices, in addition to increasing remote diagnostic and repair capabilities.

 

KPMG

It is dealing with the quarantine by adopting project management online, with the entire company working from home. All of their face-to-face events have been relocated or are now online. In addition, they are publicizing their knowledge, with guides and courses that can help everyone in facing the challenges that the world economy is going through.

 

Trench Rossi Watanabe

In addition to having implemented home office for all lawyers and staff members, in its four offices, the company is providing as much information as possible within its expertise so that we can triumph after this challenging period for all of humanity. Also launched for its clients and followers the information hub “Covid-19: Combat on All Fronts”, which brings legal alerts, materials, articles and pertinent information developed by its lawyers.

 

Caterpillar

Announced an investment of US$ 8.5 million to support communities, including populations in need, affected by the virus. Brazil will also receive part of this global donation.

With its resources, the Caterpillar Foundation will support nonprofit organizations that are working to help prevent, detect and respond to the pandemic; provide resources for hospitals, medical staff and patients; address food insecurity; and making STEM feasible online and codifying education for young people impacted by the closure of schools.

Also, earlier this year, the Foundation made a donation to provide health facilities with critical medical protection materials in China's Hubei province, where the COVID-19 outbreak occurred.